Laura Bell Mcdonald

Laura Bell Cloughly McDonald was born March 31, 1911 in Wetumka, Oklahoma to Dr. A. F. Cloughly and Isabella Pike Cloughly. Her father was a country physician in Wetumka, making his calls by horse and buggy. Laura was one of eleven children and was four years old when her father passed away.

After the death of her father in 1915, the Cloughly family moved to Jennings, Oklahoma where Isabella's sister lived. Her mother then met and married Phil Wagner who lived on a farm in Terlton which is still known as the Wagner place; two children were born to this union.

Laura met Harold Mack McDonald and was married in Terlton, Oklahoma on December 16, 1925. After the death of Mr. Wagner the entire family moved to Cleveland. After moving to Cleveland, Harold accepted employment as a mechanic for the Kenyon Brothers and in 1935 the couple opened a furniture and appliance business, known as Mack's Furniture. Mack and Laura operated the business until their retirement in 1972 The business is still operated by their son Bruce with additional services in heating and air conditioning. Additionally, Laura's granddaughter, Shannan and her husband, Kevin Freeman are also active in one of Cleveland's oldest family owned and operated businesses.

Laura and Mack raised their three children, Winford, Lowis and Bruce in Cleveland with all of them graduating from Cleveland High School. Winford was killed as a result of injuries received in an automobile accident at the age of twenty-three on December 27, 1949.

The couple loved to travel and for nearly twenty years when annually to Northern California where Mack deer hunted. They attended World Fairs in San Francisco, New York, Seattle and Canada, as well as traveling to Mexico to enjoy the bullfights. Mack preceded Laura in death on March 21, 1981.

After the death of her husband, Laura continued to travel with friends and family taking bus tours to Disney World in Florida, the Statue of Liberty, Niagara Falls, and the 1982 World's Fair in Tennessee. She also traveled to Hawaii, Bermuda and enjoyed taken Caribbean cruises out of the port in Galveston, Texas. One of her favorite places to travel was to Branson to watch the many shows and entertainment.

Laura was always active in the Cleveland Community, participating in the Business and Professional Women's Club, serving as Worthy Matron of the Cleveland's Order of the Eastern Star in 1984 and is still active in the Mannford Eastern Star. She was a faithful member of the First Baptist Church, receiving a plague for forty years of service in the nursery department. She has recently been attending the First Assembly of God Church with her granddaughter, Shannan. Laura loved going to the Cleveland Manor Nursing Home to play bingo and to listen to the music and visit with the people and also enjoyed bowling.

She passed away on Saturday, July 8, 2006 at her home in Cleveland at the age of ninety-five years, three months and seven days. Laura had resided in the same block of 200 South Division for the past eighty years. In addition to her husband and son, Laura was preceded in death by her parents; brothers, Elmer, Everett, Marion, Andrew, Earl Cloughly and Phillip ìPhil Boyî Wagner; sisters, Anna Mae and Alta Wagner Davis; and two infant siblings.

Laura is survived by her granddaughter and her husband, Shannan and Kevin Freeman of Cleveland; son, Bruce McDonald of Cleveland; daughter, Lowis McDonald of Cleveland; grandson, Chase McDonald of Cleveland and a great-grandson, Ethan C. McDonald; nephews, Robert and Eddie Davis and a niece, Louise Cox.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 am, Wednesday, July 12, 2006 at the Chapel of the Chapman-Black Funeral Home with Pastor Dan Edens and Rev. George Boston officiating. Burial will be at the Woodland Cemetery under the direction of the Chapman-Black Funeral Home.